Workers say they were forced into Rana Plaza

Workers were forcibly brought to work in the various factories in Savar’s Rana Plaza, which collapsed on Wednesday, many of the wounded have alleged.

A big crack appeared in the building’s structure on
Tuesday, making it extremely unsafe for use.

The building collapsed at
around 9am on Wednesday soon after the workers began their work in the
factories.

Death toll in the collapse of the nine-storied building has
gone up to 80. More than 800 are said to have been injured.

Numerous
others are missing under the rubbles, as rescue operation continues.

Rana
Plaza had readymade garment factories on four floors.

Aklima, a garment
worker was being treated in the Enam Medical College Hospital and was working in
Phantom Tak Limited located on the fifth floor of the building.

She said,
“I did not want to go to the factory since a crack appeared yesterday (Tuesday).
But the factory’s officers forced us into the building in the
morning.”

Aklima said she has lost her younger sister Soudia, who died
after being trapped under the debris.

Nurul Islam another worker said,
“None of us wanted to go in. The bosses came after us with beating sticks. At
the end we were forced to get in.”

He said he heard a terrible noise at
around 9am and the building collapsed right after that.

He said more than
200 people were working on the fifth floor.

Nazma Akhtar a worker from
Phantom Tak factory was still missing two hours after the collapse. Her husband
‘Rana’ was seen in tears in front of the Enam Medical College Hospital, where
the injured and the dead were being brought.

Their house is near the
factory he said. His wife left home in the morning to go to work.

“I came
running as soon as I heard. But I still don’t know where she
is.”

Meanwhile, the doctors at the Enam Medical College Hospital are
struggling to provide attention to all the injured.

Medical students are
also working to provide care to the patients along with the interns and the
residents.

Asir Iqbal a second year student of the medical college said,
“We can’t provide room for the injured. So we are releasing most of them after
giving then primary care.”

A team of 25 instructors from Dhaka’s National
Orthopedic Hospital and Rehabilitation Institution (Pangu Hospital) has been
treating the injured at Enam Hospital.

Professor Abdul Gani a member of
that team said they brought two ambulances with them. Those in serious
conditions are being sent to Dhaka.

The Industrial Police on Tuesday had
instructed the garment owners to keep their factories closed after a big crack
appeared in the building. They wanted to bring in an engineer from BUET to
decide if the structure was safe for use, Mustafizur Rahman, Director for
Industrial Police told reporters at the site of the collapse.

The
buildings first and second storey had electronic, computer, cosmetic and cloth
stores. Rana Plaza also housed a branch of the BRAC bank.